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Internships and Fellowships

The Urban Public Policy Fellowship Program (UPPF) Application

The Urban Public Policy Fellowship Program exposes undergraduate students from historically underrepresented groups to key public policy issues and civic, nonprofit, and government institutions and agencies that address major public policy issues. The UPPF program is administered by the Institute for Policy & Civic Engagement (IPCE) in partnership with the African American Academic Network (AAAN) and the Latin American Recruitment and Educational Services program (LARES). For more information and to apply visit the Institute for Policy & Civic Engagement.

Summer Research Opportunities Program for Undergraduates (SROP)

The Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) was first established in 1986 by the Graduate Deans of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC). The goal of SROP is to introduce domestic underrepresented sophomores and juniors to academic research experiences. Student participants work one-on-one with a faculty mentor giving them an opportunity to experience research and the graduate student experience. The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) launched its SROP in 1986, with a total of six minority undergraduate students. After twenty-eight years of hosting this program, UIC has had over one thousand student participants.

The success of SROP has been truly phenomenal. The retention, graduation, and post-baccalaureate rates of SROP students are substantially higher than those of the general student population. More than two-thirds of the SROP alumni have gone on to graduate and professional schools — four times the national average for all baccalaureates in the U.S.

UIC’s numbers are equally impressive. At last count, 97% of those students who participated in its program have continued their studies or have earned a BA/BS degree, 47% are working toward or have completed a graduate degree, and 21.2% are working toward or have completed a professional degree. Our diverse student body, Research Extensive standing and location in the heart of downtown Chicago provide for an exceptional summer research experience.

In the Fall semester, the Graduate College invites undergraduates to apply for participation in SROP. The student may apply to the program already having a research project in mind and a committed faculty mentor or simply by having a research area of interest. In cases where a student has an experienced interest but no mentor, the SROP staff will try to facilitate a match. The SROP Staff and faculty advisory committee are responsible for the selection process, the allocation of funding, and the evaluation of the program. Faculty or students interested in participating in the program should contact program Director, Allen Bryson at (312) 413-2558 or ajbryson@uic.edu.